I've decided to take a walk to explore the world around me. If you'd like to come along, I'll share my thoughts with you on what I've found on this journey.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Merry What?

You’d better watch out. You’d better not pout. I’m telling you why. Jesus isn’t coming to town! At least not to one American city.

In Washington, D.C., there’s a new Christmas war battling. No, it has nothing to do with the Obama’s arriving in town.

Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December.

The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square, and the meaning of Christmas.

“We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. “Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists, and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”

Edwords said the purpose isn’t to argue that God doesn’t exist or change minds about a deity, although “we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people’s minds.”

There was no debate at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over whether to take the ad. Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the agency accepts ads that aren’t obscene or pornographic.

What do you think? Should the transit authority have allowed this? Why? Why not?

2 comments:

Hmmm... I'm a big fan of etymology (word origins) and wanted to share these two:holiday - etymology from Holy Day...a day to reflect on a religious figure or event...

Christmas - etymology is from Catholic Mass to celebrate Christ's birth (earliest recording of use in 1038), and placed on 12/25 to counter Roman pagan festivals to solar gods (as were other Christian holidays).

So I guess the target audience will all be working on 12/25? Are they going to start wishing everyone a "Happy Goodness Day?"

So let me play devil's advocate here. I think that ad will get a lot of people thinking and talking about faith-based issues which is good. So let them have their ads. The majority of Americans claim to be Christians anyways. Maybe this will get someone upset enough that they'll go back to church. I can see our God turning this into a majorly good thing. It's quite funny, if you ask me.

Atheists try so daggone hard to avoid God that they end up doing exactly what they're trying not to do -- talking about and thinking about God and causing others to do the same. I was married to an Atheist for 4 years. He even read the Bible on a daily basis. He was so wrapped up in God that it was ridiculous the amount of energy he put into trying to not believe in Him.

Let them have at it. We know the truth anyway and it gives us one more reason to pray and to thank God we are not like them.

Just Who I Am

M. Steve Heartsill resides in Chelsea, Alabama, with his wife, son, and overly pampered dog. If you keep reading this blog, you'll come to know more about each of them, along with a whole slew of other folks. Would love to hear from you and learn how you are putting your toes in the water.